The Symbology Within Bronzino’s Allegory of Public Happiness

By

Greta Brookes

Bronzino spent many years as court painter to Cosimo I de Medici in Florence during the 16th century.

The painting above is called The Allegory of Public Happiness and like many, if not all, of the Renaissance works of art, it contains within the image what was once a well-known and understood Moral Code.

What we see here is a central figure surrounded by seven other figures with three more on the ground. What, at first sight, looks like a pretty but meaningless picture of half naked people is far more revealing to those who know the allegory hidden within.

We can read a deep story via the people before us.

Let us start with the central female.

1.Venus/Aphrodite/Abundance/Public Happiness/Felicita Publica:

A lady with a Garland of Flowers on her Head, seated on a royal Throne, holding a Mercury’s Rod in the right hand, and a Cornucopia with flowers and fruit in the other.

The Cornucopia declares the Fruit gain’d by Pains, without which, no Happiness. Flowers are signs of Cheerfulness, the constant Companion of Felicity. Mercury’s Rod signifies Virtue, Peace and Wisdom, accompanying Happiness.

Into the lap of the central female figure leans a child.

This is Cupid/Eros/Love/Amor.

The main female here reminds me of The Empress in the Tarot. She is abundant, fertile and walks in love. But her gifts have been wrought out of the greatest of pain, like the labour of childbirth.

The positioning is perfect because, to the “pagans,” Cupid/Eros is the son of Venus/Aphrodite. To Christians this represents Mother Mary and the Holy Child.

2. Cupid/Forza d’Amore:

A naked stripling resembling Cupid smiling, with Wings on his shoulders, holding a Dolphin in one hand, and a Garland of Flowers in the other ; to show the Power of Love by Sea and Land, through the Universe; for the Empire of Cupid is sometimes intimated by his fitting in a Chariot, drawn by a couple of Lions, with his Hand held up to Heaven, from whence fall Arrows and Flames, that give place to none, for Jupiter is not exempt from them.

Here, in Bronzino’s painting, it looks as if Cupid is about to pierce the breast of Happiness. This is an unusual image. Especially when you consider the above mention of Cupid being Venus’ son.

However, in Ovid’s Metamorphoses there is a passage describing exactly this wounding…

[by chancing]unwittingly to graze her breast with a projecting arrow.

Standing immediately to the right of Felicita Publica is –

3. Justice/Giustitia:

A Virgin all in white; blinded; in her right Hand she holds the Roman Fasces, with an Axe in it; in her left, a Flame, and an Ostrich by her side.

The White shows that she should be Spotless, void of Passion, without Respect of Persons, as she, being hoodwink’d declares. The Fasces denote Whipping for Small Offences, and cutting off the Head for Heinous ones. The Ostrich, that Things should be ruminated upon, how hard soever they be, as the Ostrich, in time, digests hard Iron.

It is very obvious that Bronzino departed entirely from this usual depiction of Justice. He painted her all but naked, carrying a broadsword pointed down and behind with the scales resting, unused on a stone block.

What was the artist saying here?

By making Justice almost nude, did this represent the Naked Truth?

And by placing the weighing scales, relaxed, on a hard surface, is this to show Immovable Constancy?

Taking a closer look around Justice/Giustitia shows a figure, hidden, but for a hand holding a broken broadsword.

This could be Fury/Furore, one of Justice’s many enemies who has now been vanquished from the scene.

Also, under her foot lies a horrible, grey-tinged, demented creature with a grapple iron in his left hand and a decapitated snake close to his right hand. Here lies another of Justice’s enemies, defeated – Deceit/Inganno.

Flanking Felicita Publica on the left side is –

4. Prudence/Prudenza:

A Woman with two Faces, a gilded Helmet on her Head; a Stag by her; a Looking Glass in her left Hand, in her right an Arrow, and a Remora Fish twirling about it.

The Helmet signifies the Wisdom of a prudent Man, to be arm’d with wise Counsel to defend himself: the Stag chewing, that we should ruminate before resolving on a Thing. The Mirror bids us examine our Defects by knowing ourselves. The Remora, that stops a Ship, not to delay doing Good, when Time serves.

This painting is not the only work of art containing this specific image of Prudence by Bronzino. He prefers to show her with two faces, like Janus. The right face – that of a young female gazes with awe at Felicita Publica (the Future.)

The left face – that of a bearded male looking in the opposite direction (the Past.)

Instead of a mirror in her left hand, she has a globe with Italy front and centre and a serpent around her right wrist.

As with her sister Justice, Prudence has vanquished her enemies. Behind her flees Blind Envy. Beneath her lies Folly/Pazzia.

Moving to the right foreground, we encounter –

5. Fortune/Fortuna buona:

A woman about to sit down, leaning her right Arm upon a Wheel, instead of the celestial Globe, holding a Cornucopia in her left Hand.

As the Wheel is sometimes up, and sometimes down, so Fortune changes. The Cornucopia denotes her being Disposer of Riches, and the good Things of this World; and the Wheel being continually in Motion, so Fortune is fickle, and ever and anon changes, sometimes abasing one, and exalting another.

I feel that it is very appropriate to point out that Bronzini (in my mind) left out Fortune’s Cornucopia here because it belongs to Felicita Publica. The Empress. The Mother.

The left foreground shows –

6. Time/Vita Longa:

An ancient Lady, in an antique Habit; laying her right hand on the head of a Stag, with large Horns, and many Branches; holding a Crow in her left Hand.

The ancient Dress denotes the Revolution of many Years: The old Stag, alluding to that which is found three hundred Years after Julius Caesar, with the Gold Collar inscribed, HOC CAESAR ME DONAVIT. The Crow outlives the Stag, as ‘tis said.

Is that a “globe” or a celestial sphere in the arms of this male version of Time? If the latter, this depicts the constant movement of Eternity and the Stars repeating their destined pathways throughout the whole of Time.

Beneath Time’s left foot lies a defeated youth. Some have identified him as Kairos.

Kairos definition is – a time when conditions are right for the accomplishment of a crucial action: the opportune and decisive moment.

Finally we look above at –

Glory and Fame flying in to crown Felicita Publica with the Laurels of Glory and to trumpet her Fame across all of Eternity.